


More Than You know

by sunbean72



Series: Then [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Avengers, Iron Man - Fandom
Genre: Gen, I want them to see each other and have a hug, because i luff them, but like, i miss them, mostly pepper and phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 09:23:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13408245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunbean72/pseuds/sunbean72
Summary: Pepper gets to call Agent Coulson "Phil"





	More Than You know

_"TONY!"_ Pepper screamed, wondering if she really did just kill her boss, kill Tony Stark, kill the head of Stark Enterprises, the genius who had survived being tortured and medically experimented on, the man who had shown himself to be so brave, so recklessly selfless, the man that had been a mentor and friend to her, all she had, she killed the man she lo--

"Tony, please, please," she begged. "Don't be dead, don't be dead, I will do anything, don't be dead." These damned heels. She bolted as fast as her legs would carry her toward the stairs to the roof, skidding on the broken glass. She started to slip and felt a strong hand grip her arm, steadying her. It was the agent who had helped her, Agent Coulson. He'd been injured in the mele, his face bruised and he was bleeding but didn't appear to be concerned about it. He looked at her calmly, his blue eyes piercing her, but she could tell he was anxious, grim-- Obadiah had killed his men, it had happened so fast.

"Ms. Potts, I need you to stay here until we've secured--"

"No no no no, I'm going to Tony, he's hurt! Let go!" He released her arm and followed her as she raced up the stairs.

"You saw Mr. Stark get injured?"

"He was on the roof when it blew, he told me to overload the arc reactor it was the only way to stop Obadiah. His suit was damaged, Obadiah was going to _kill_ him, Tony, poor Tony, Obadiah was like a father to him and he's tried to kill him _twice--"_ She broke off as they reached the decimated roof, scanning for Tony.

Not only could she not see him, she had no idea how she was going to reach him if he were still on the roof by some miracle. The roof was destroyed, unstable. She took off her heels, moving toward the last spot she'd seen Tony, but there was too much wreckage. Coulson was behind her, also combing through the debris. "Could he have fallen?" He asked quietly, giving voice to her fears. 

Pepper paused, just long enough to choke back a sob. "I don't know." If he had, it was over. No one could have survived the explosion and then the fall. In the darkness, she saw a glint of red and gold. "Tony!" She scrambled toward him, crawling over twisted metal still hot from the explosion. An edge of jutting steel sliced along her arm but she didn't stop to feel it or slow down. 

Tony was still, unmoving in the terrible darkness after the brilliant light of the reactor's overload. He was unconscious, or worse--

"Agent Coulson, help me! Tony, Tony... I don't think he's breathing! The arc reactor, it... he can't live without it, it keeps his heart beating. This is... this is his old one, we need the new one, it was in Obadiah's suit." Coulson had moved around her to get closer to Tony.

"All agents, respond," he said after tapping his ear. "We need to get to the suit, it's in the lowest level of the building. We need the arc reactor if it's still functioning. I need it now, go." He began feeling around on the suit, trying to discover a way to open it. "Ms. Potts... here. I need you to breathe for him until I can open the suit. Can you do that? Tilt his head back and pinch his nose. Every six seconds, give him a breath. Here, here, go." Grateful for someone to tell her what to do, she leaned over and pressed her lips to Tony's.

She sobbed again as she watched his slightly exposed chest rise and fall. This was not... this was not how she imagined-- Tony. "Please don't leave me again, you selfish bastard," she whimpered, pressing her cheek against his cheek before giving him another breath. 

The suit opened a moment later, revealing Tony's still unconscious body. Coulson reached for Tony's neck and felt for a pulse. He looked up at Pepper, his eyes kind and full of worry. "He has a pulse, but barely." He unbuttoned Tony's shirt, exposing his chest, and the lifeless, lightless arc reactor. "The shrapnel is causing an arrhythmia. I can't give him chest compressions without possibly pushing the shrapnel into his heart, I..." He looked around. "Keep breathing for him!" He instructed, jumping to his feet and searching through the wreckage. 

"What are you looking for?" Pepper said, giving Tony a breath every six seconds as Agent Coulson had taught her.

"A miracle," he responded, lifting a piece of twisted metal. "If I can find a piece of metal small enough, it should be magnetized from the blast of the arc reactor. It might... buy us some time. All agents, get me that arc reactor now!" He scrambled around, nearly slipping twice, before finding a fist-sized chunk of metal and stumbling toward the fallen man. "I really hope this is strong enough. It might help if we took out this..." he ran a hand over the dead arc reactor, looking for a way to safely remove it. Pepper clenched her hands into tight fists, scared out of her mind, fear like nausea pressing in her throat as she reached out a hand and released the arc reactor. 

"Don't pull out the... wire all the way," she said through gritted teeth. She hated this, she hated it, she never felt so afraid in her life. "Make sure it doesn't get wedged in so we can put the other reactor in."

As soon as the piece of metal was in the casing, Tony took a deep breath. Pepper started crying silent tears. "Please be okay boss."

Agent Coulson was feeling Tony's pulse. "It's stronger. Steady. But every moment that passes is weakening that magnet, we need that arc reactor." They were completely helpless to wait for it. She could hear sirens screaming in the distance, and saw Agent Coulson fidget. No doubt he had other very big problems to be dealing with right now, but he didn't leave, he stayed with her. A sob escaped her and he put a hand on her shoulder, warm and strong, and she did feel comforted. "It will be all right Ms. Potts."

She wasn't so sure about that. _Obie, Obie how could you?_ She thought, reaching down and taking Tony's limp hand.

After what seemed like an eternity, like an entire lifetime, an agent appeared, his hand glowing with the arc reactor. "Stane?" Coulson asked as he moved to make room for the man.

The agent met Coulson's eyes soberly. "Dead sir," he said, placing the reactor in Pepper's hand as she reached for it. Coulson moved the piece of magnetized metal and Pepper shakingly pulled the old reactor out entirely. Stretching the cord straight, she reached her hand in his chest and connected the brilliant arc reactor, blinding her slightly, bright, it was bright, bright, like Tony--

"Pep?" Black spots clouded her vision a moment and she blinked them away as fast as she could to see the face she cared more about than any other. "What the hell happened? Did you kiss me?"

Pepper laughed at the same moment she sobbed as Tony tried to sit up. She wrapped her arms around him, knocking him back on his back. "Oh please," she said, holding him tightly. He held her in return, his hand clutching tightening on her dress, the only thing he had to hold onto, and it was the first time he felt _back_ to her, back to stay, it was over, there wouldn't be any more missions now and he could finally be safe.

She let him let go first and pulled back. "It was Agent Coulson here," she said. "Without him... you would have..."

"Thanks, Agent," Tony said, reaching up a hand to the battered but relieved Coulson. 

"It's no problem Mr. Stark," but he looked tired, a bit, and glanced at Pepper. "Looks like we'll still need to arrange for that debriefing, Ms. Potts." Pepper stood up as medical workers arrived in the parking lot below. She took Coulson's hand in both of hers and squeezed it tightly, all her gratitude and relief in it. 

"I can't thank you enough Agent Coulson. You saved Tony. You saved us both."

"I'm not sure it wasn't you who saved us all," he admitted with a small smile. "I think, Ms. Potts, after what we've been through... you can call me Phil."

She grinned, her tear stained cheeks curving with the smile. "You can call me Pepper." 

"We'll see you soon, Pepper. Mr. Stark." As the first responders began pouring into the decimated building, Pepper looked away and when she looked back, the agents were gone.


End file.
